Fennesz - Bécs

Fennesz
Bécs
29 April 2014
Mego

3.5 stars out of 5

 

Vienna’s Christian Fennesz returns with his thirteenth studio LP, Bécs, a record far more guitar-based than much of his previous work. Rather than providing only texture and atmosphere, on tracks like “Static Kings” and “Liminality” the guitar provides the melody and rhythm, a marked step away from his established songwriting techniques. Still, Fennesz uses static as an instrument so often that a lot of the time it’s difficult to tell if your speakers are blown or if that buzz is actually part of the music.

The extended keyboard textures of “Pallas Athene” have the ability to suspend time for the listener. It’s a relatively uncluttered work compared to “Bécs,” a simple piano progression obscured by layers of distortion and static. Even still, “Bécs” is a straight forward folk song compared to “Sav,” a finely detailed drone piece that is the centerpiece of the album, though one that is seemingly at odds with the rest of the music here. The only song approaching glitch an album by an artist traditionally associated with that genre, it sticks out almost unnaturally here.

Where many (most?) electronic composers emphasize the rhythm and use notes and melodies to fill in the gaps or to add flavour, Fennesz is at the opposite pole. His music often has no beat at all, apart from what might be implied by the pulsations of the keyboards or guitars. While some of Bécs drifts towards New Age territory, it’s still a solid album from one of the more interesting artists in electronic music.

reviewed by Richard Krueger